Gaoler's Mews, Gastown
by Miff Crommelin
I happen to like history, antique shops, and things that are old. I feel comfortable amidst surroundings that evoke the past because life seemed a bit more sane and less hectic than today. I'm less enchanted with current events and the high-tech lifestyle of this generation...
The oldest part of Vancouver, Canada is called 'Gastown', named after 'Gassy' Jack Deighton who started a saloon along the shores of Burrard Inlet. This is where Vancouver began - amidst native Indian villages and numerous lumber milling operations like this one called Hastings Mill.
A few old brick buildings still exist from Vancouver's earliest days where Gastown evolved from a seedy 'skid row' along Water Street, thick with drunkards, gamblers and prostitutes, into a vibrant mecca for tourists visiting downtown Vancouver. One of the remaining brick buildings is the Alhambra Hotel.
A statue of 'Gassy Jack' standing atop a whiskey barrel in front of the Alhambra Hotel reminds us of Vancouver's boisterous early days.
Just behind this hotel are two interesting lanes called 'Blood Alley' and 'Gaoler's Mews'. This is where Vancouver's original courthouse and jail were located. The area is now the location of avant garde specialty shoppes and fancy high-priced restaurants.
I visited Gaoler's Mews around 1965 and took this photo which I always liked because of how the lines in the brick buildings recede to create an interesting perspective.
Years later I used a computer program to superimpose grid lines onto the picture and used this grid to provide reference points to craft a pencil drawing of my favorite photo.
This is the finished product which I have since used to make greeting cards. I think it evokes a sense of mystery and heritage.
The Silversmith Shop at the end of the mews has now been replaced by the upscale l'Abattoir Restaurant.
This picture of a girl (found on the internet) reminds me of the girl in my drawing at the far end of Gaoler's Mews. [Incidentally, many of the photos in this essay are sourced from various webpages on the internet. Copyright holders can contact me to have them removed if they would rather not have them appear here.]
Other artists have also been captivated by this tranquil little corner in the heart of Vancouver's busy downtown core.
In the 1970's Gaoler's Mews began to undergo some major changes.
By the 1980's it still retained some of its old-fashioned charm, but notice how the trees had grown!
Today Gaoler's Mews has lost some of that charm because it has evolved into a combination of 'old' and 'new' in order to maximize the return from this expensive downtown real estate.
I'm not sure I like how the Mews looks today, but that's progress I guess.
Rooms in the renovated Alhambra Hotel overlook the wedge-shaped Hotel Europe, another unique landmark in Vancouver's Gastown.
If you visit Vancouver, do visit Gastown near the Waterfront Skytrain and Seabus station. You won't be disappointed.
You will like the old-fashioned ambiance and such novelties as a steam-driven clock that tells excellent time!
More Information:
A short history of Gastown
